The full skirt and streamlined bodice of this dress provide the perfect medium to showcase this opulent fabric. Light blue silk is woven with an intricate Indo-Chinese floral brocade reminiscent of eighteenth-century bizarre silks. Norell enhances an otherwise casual bateau neckline and short sleeves with an elaborate trim similar to that found on saris. He demonstrates a keen sense for combining day and evening elements, producing in turn a garment that Vogue called "as exquisite a dress as any women in the world could own." Norell takes an imaginative approach to the romantic historicism and exclusive luxury that characterized eveningwear of the 1950s.

Object Number: 76.113.3

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
New York City 10001-5992